Drivers off to fast starts

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The Sprint Cup Series has run just five races, but sometimes that’s enough to get a clear picture of what to expect throughout the season.

Consider this: Of the 10 drivers in the top 10 in points after five races last year, only one did not make the Chase. And only three drivers who got off to slow starts last year rallied to make the Chase.

So strong starts are important and several drivers already are running better than expected.

Here’s a look at the biggest surprises so far entering the first off week of the season:

It’s probably not a surprise to many that Earnhardt is off to a strong start — he did the lead the standings for two weeks last year — but five straight top-10 finishes is the best start of his career.

While Earnhardt was third in points at this point last year, and stayed in the top five until the Chase, there were questions entering this season after he suffered two concussions and missed two Chase races last year.

But he has shown no signs of a concussion hangover and has come out of the gate strong. Though he has led in just one race, he has two runnerup finishes — at Daytona and California — and has been more consistent than anyone.

Aside from the trouble and controversy he has stirred up the past two weeks, Logano has gotten off to a good start at Penske Racing.

He has just one top-10 finish (third at California) but has been solid the last three weeks and had a chance to win at both Bristol and California. As a result, he is ninth in points — one spot ahead of new archrival Denny Hamlin.

If Logano can remain under control and not lose his head in any more silly feuds, he could be a real contender to make the Chase.

Stenhouse has done nothing spectacular and he’s not been overly impressive, but the rookie driver has been solid.

He’s finished on the lead lap in all five races and started the season by finishing 12th, 16th, 18th and 16th. His worse finish was last week at California, when he wound up 20th in the mad scramble at the end.

This is the kind of start a rookie driver needs —solid, consistent finishes while he gets his feet under him and figures out what it takes to contend in the Sprint Cup Series.

And more importantly, he’s still dating Danica Patrick — “Yes, guys, she’s taken,” he said when introduced at Bristol — and that’s probably enough to make the tough times seem not quite so bad.

Busch had to be experiencing a bit of deja vu when he got off to a rough start and finished 28th and 27th in his first two races this year. He had to be thinking back to 2012, when something went wrong nearly every week with Phoenix Racing.

But Busch recovered quickly and has finished in the top five in each of the past two races. In three weeks, he climbed from 31st to 13th in points.

Furniture Row Racing put together two impressive races at Bristol and California and suddenly Busch looks like he might be able to carry the single-car team to a victory and maybe even a spot in the Chase.

Like Stenhouse, McMurray is not off to a spectacular start, but compared to where he was, things are looking up.

McMurray has just one top-10 finish and is 16th in points, but that’s not a bad start considering that he’s coming off two straight miserable seasons.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing struggled each of the last two years, with McMurray and teammate Juan Pablo Montoya finishing 21st and 22nd, respectively, in the standings last year. McMurray was 22nd at this point in the season.

But he has finished 13th and 10th in his last two races and was running well at California before fading to 19th at the end.

As McMurray has shown in the past three weeks, EGR is starting to show some promise.

Almirola showed potential at the end of last season, running consistently in the top 15 and top 20.

He’s taken up right where he left off, finishing 16th or better in four of his five races this year. If not for a wreck and 37th-place finish at Bristol, Almirola would be challenging Menard and Logano for a spot in the top 10.

With Richard Petty Motorsports and at this point in his career, Almirola is showing promise and making steady progress. Now he needs to turn those top-15 finishes into top-10s.

After being suspended for a failed drug test and losing his ride at Penske Racing last year, just having a part-time ride in the Sprint Cup Series is a win for Allmendinger.

But, so far, he’s made the most of it.

Allmendinger has run three races with the underfunded Phoenix Racing team that Kurt Busch struggled with last season. But in those three races, he has finished 11th, 13th and 16th, helping the No. 51 team crack the top 10 in owner points.

While also landing a part-time IndyCar ride with Penske, Allmendinger is proving that he still has talent and can be competitive in the right situation. He just needed a second chance to show it.